another Tessuti Fave Top

Yes, it’s another Tessuti Fave Top. I had some leftover fabric from another project, and with some judicious piecing – I added a centre back seam and also a small wedge of fabric at one side back corner – I was able to eke out this top.

This is a top that always looks better in real life than it does in photos. I do like an oversized top with skinny pants (these are the StyleARC Elle pants). It was constructed on the overlocker, with twin needle stitched hems. I did stablise the neckline with double sided fusible tape before stitching it down – well worth it. I think that I’ve made this top about six times now. Some times are more successful than others – it really does depend on the fabric and how well it drapes; whether it skims and folds, whether it sticks out stiffly, or whether it clings. This one worked nicely – it’s a viscose blend jersey from Darn Cheap Fabrics. When I made this one I made another in a black spotted knit for a friend for her 50th – and it looks great on her!

Vogue 8815 view C

All of a sudden it felt like winter in Melbourne.  After weeks of baking, the pendulum swung completely the other way!  So I made a long sleeved top.

This is Vogue 8815 again, in view C. Long sleeves, high-low (or “mullet” hemline), shaped raised front seam, and peplum. Completely different to what I usually wear.

This time I sewed size 12 through the body, but size 10 through the shoulders and upper chest. I also shortened the bodice and back pieces around 3/4 of an inch at the marked “shorten/lengthen” lines. I think it’s a much better fit than my previous make of 8815 – it’s essentially a size smaller. I also shaved about a quarter of an inch from the sleeve cap. This pattern is designed for wovens, and since I was using a stretch it really didn’t need as much ease.

The fabric is a light weight ponte from Darn Cheap Fabrics (and I must have liked it a lot because it wasn’t on the $2 per metre table and I paid full price). It was incredibly easy to sew with. I eliminated the centre back neck opening, deepened the neckline about an inch at the centre front, and bound the neck with self-fabric. All the hems are top stitched with the twin needle.

So there you go – a warm winter top that is rather fun and currently quite fashionable. Maybe not my best ever look, but one that I am going to wear. I paired it with StyleARC Elle pants, but think that it would also work well with some StyleARC Linda pants that I haven’t made yet. And as it so happens, I’ve already cut out one more winter 8815. Maybe that will get made tomorrow!  And yes, I got a haircut and colour.  Shorter than I’d anticipated!

2012 sewing wrap up

Yes, it’s the 11th of January.  My 2012 wrap-up is well and truly overdue!  I’ve trawled through my blog posts and flickr stream for the past year and have discovered the following:

I sewed 74 items for myself.  Gulp!

• 5 bags/wristlets
• 1 cape
• 1 cardi/jacket
• 8 crocheted garments
• 21 dresses
• 1 jacket
• 5 pairs of pants
• 1 pair of pyjamas
• 7 skirts
• 18 tops
• 3 vests

Some of my favourite garment sews for myself were these:

I also made 24 items for Clare (one crocheted, the rest sewn) and 19 items for Stella.  There were five garments made for other people, and a variety of hats and gloves crocheted as gifts that didn’t make it to the blog or into this tally.  Oh my goodness!

Oliver + s and New Look were the big winners when it came to sewing for the girls.  I made 13 Oliver + s garments for Clare and 7 for Stella, and made 1 New Look garment for Clare but 4 for Stella.  Other patterns that I used for the girls’ garments were mostly Ottobre.

And the pattern breakdown for my garments?

• 9 StyleARC
• 7 New Look
• 6 Simplicity
• 6 Nicole Mallalieu
• 4 Vogue
• 3 McCalls
• 2 Butterick
• 2 Tessuti
• 2 Kwik Sew
• 1 Colette
• 1 Sewaholic – Made 6 times (Renfrew)
• 1 Jalie
• 1 self
• 1 Crafty Mamas – Made 3 times (Cherish)
• 1 Maker’s Journal

Some of these patterns were used multiple times.  The one Sewaholic pattern that I used was the Renfrew pattern – and I made it six times!  The one Crafty Mamas pattern was the Cherish dress, which I made four times (including one for Mum and one for Freya).  I used the StyleARC Elle pants pattern four times.  There were others used twice or three times, in different variations.

And there were four quilt tops put together.  They’re still waiting to be quilted.

But the sewing project I’m most proud of?

StyleARC Tilda Tunic/Top

Another one of my Sewjourn makes – the StyleARC Tilda tunic/top.  I’ve made this before, but last time I made a poor fabric choice (although I did love the colour).  This time I got it right – soft, draping, single knit jersey.  Possibly containing some viscose or similar.

This is a very oversized top – I sewed size 12. The sleeves are unusual, being much wider at the underarm than at the top. You have to be a little careful when attaching them to the front and the back to make sure to get it right!

I stabilised the neckline with Vliesofix bias tape, and finished the edges with straight stitches. The curved hemline drapes nicely, and it’s a great loose top to pair with straight pants such as the StyleARC Elle pants (and yes, I’ve made four pairs of these pants now).

Simplicity 2254

Usually after I’ve been to Sewjourn I don’t touch my sewing machine or overlocker for more than a week.  This time has been no exception, although I do have some pre-Christmas sewing plans.  I’d like to make Christmas dresses for myself, Stella, Clare, a shirt for my husband, and a top and skirt for my cousin Freya.  That is, let’s see, six items.  In less than five weeks, which will also involve a weekend camping trip, a visit to my parents, assorted work Christmas functions, and the odd meeting or two. Eeeeeeek!

Anyway, back to Sewjourn sewing.  Rachel kindly gave me Simplicity 2254 last time that we were at Sewjourn, so this time I made it!  I used scraps of mystery knit left over from another project.  There was very little fabric but I managed to squeeze out View D, the shorter length and shorter sleeves, with no fancy embellishments or details.

This top turned out much more nicely than I’d anticipated. It’s actually drafted for wovens, but I figured that it would be fine in a knit. As you know, I like an empire line top; it flows over my middle rolls better than something fitted, which just tends to highlight them with a sausage casing effect. I know that many people worry about looking pregnant in empire lines – I figure that at my age, most people won’t make that assumption. And comfort wins out. There is elastic threaded through a casing made from the seam allowances in the back, between the upper and the skirt portion of the top. It brings the top in nicely to hug the body and give it more definition.

My only criticism of this top is that the neck band doesn’t completely hug the body through the front neckline, but stands away slightly in a couple of places. This is probably because I cut the facing on the cross grain, due to fabric limitations. In retrospect, I should have probably just cut the facing from a coordinating fabric – but I didn’t think of that at the time. Ah, hindsight, you’re such a wonderful thing! I really like this top with my StyleARC Elle pants.

Although I haven’t done any sewing over the past week, I did enjoy some sewing related activity. I joined seven other Melbourne sewing bloggers for a meet at The Fabric Store (where some bright orange cotton/lycra may have been purchased for another pair of Elle pants) and then on to the Alannah Hill clearance store (where some – gasp – LIBERTY floral cotton/lycra may have been purchased for tops for Clare and Stella). Of course, after all that fabric perusal we need to sit down and refresh ourselves with a beer/cider/champage at Little Creatures.

(Rachel, me, Anna, Leigh and Steph – the others had to depart before this was taken.  Photo blatantly stolen from Rachel)

As always, it was so much fun to talk fabric and patterns and construction with other women who care about it! Thanks to all of you for a fun afternoon.  I felt a little younger and hipper and groovier being out with you all, and enjoyed all the people watching along Brunswick St and Johnston St as I wandered back to the tram in the spring afternoon sunshine.  It reminded my of my long-ago uni days…

Has anyone been wondering about my bedroom renovation? The wardrobes have been installed, and they are now FULL.

Oh my goodness. So many clothes. Too many clothes.  I need to get rid of some of them, but find it SO difficult to give away clothes that I have made, and clothes that I like. I’m also grappling with giving away the clothes that don’t currently fit me. I’ve put on well over five kilograms since this time last year, and many of my clothes either don’t fit at all or aren’t comfortable. Shall I just get rid of them and keep what fits now, planning to make more if/when I lose the extra weight, or do I hang on to them waiting for them to fit again? This is an ongoing issue for me, and is part of the reason why I own so many clothes – I have my fat clothes and my thin clothes, because weight fluctuations are a common thing for me. What to do? But I have to say, it is wonderful having everything where I can see it.  And let me add, I do share this wardrobe with my husband – he gets two and a bit doors worth – it is not ALL mine!

Now there is the carpet to go in, then new curtains to replace the old ones that shredded when I washed them. Oops.

more Renfrew tops

Rather like my experimentation with the Elle pant pattern, I have been sewing up more Renfrew tops.  I believe that this habit may now have the official name of Renfrewitis, and I’ve noticed that Sarah, Leigh, Christy and Andrea have been similarly afflicted, among many others.  I fear that it is becoming an epidemic.  I needed to replace some chocolate brown tees, so armed with a remnant of wool jersey, I assembled a simple scoop neck, 3/4 sleeve Renfrew (#4). Sadly none of my regular photographers were available, so it’s mirror shots for the moment.

Lessons learned from this version – make the sleeve bands and hem bands shorter – and therefore tighter – next time. Otherwise it’s exactly what I was after – a simple basic tee for layering. It’s even long enough to be okay over the Elle pants.

Then to Renfrew #6 and another wardrobe hole. I have a couple of pinafores/tunics that look best with a black top underneath. I have a black skivvy, but really don’t like that tight fabric around my neck – and the black right up next to my face isn’t terribly flattering. So combined with a super-stretchy, slightly sheer, textured mystery knit I sewed up a cowl neck, 3/4 sleeve Renfrew.

Have I already mentioned how much I LOVE the cowl neck on the Renfrew? It is shaped rather than being a rectangle folded in half, and this gives it just the right shape to fall and drape perfectly. I managed to make the sleeve bands shorter this time, which was an improvement, and did the same with the hip band. But due to the super-stretch of this fabric, I could have made the whole top a little smaller, including the hip band. I did stabilise the shoulder seams before sewing (which I do with all my knit tops) which proved to be an excellent move. But the sleeve cap still isn’t perfectly set in across the shoulder seam – all that stretch meeting a stabilised seam. But hey, it’s a tee to go under things.

So the more I sew, the more picky I get about fit. I criticise things in clothes that I make that I’d never even worry about in ready to wear. Hmmm. And I don’t think that you’ve seen the last of the Renfrews – after all, we haven’t even got to summer and short-sleeved versions yet!

more Elle pants

I’m still on the quest to get the StyleARC Elle pants to fit me “perfectly” – although I think that this is a never-ending quest because each time they’re made they’re in a different fabric with slightly different properties and usually I am at a slightly different weight!  Here is version #3, in textured navy stretch woven something from the Darn Cheap $2 per metre table.  This is a heavier weight fabric than stretch bengaline, but it still had loads of stretch in it.  Must be a fairly high lycra content. From the front:

and from the back:

Hmmm. Quite a few folds and wrinkles across the back leg –  but they’re fitted tapered pants with a narrow leg. And you still have to be able to move. Is this a problem, or isn’t it?  And do remember that other than on this blog in these photos, no-one will EVER see the stomach and waist area of these pants – I will always wear tops out with them. And they are comfortable. And they balance out large tops nicely.

So here’s another pair! This time in a lighter weight dark brown stretch woven, which still seemed to have a significant lycra content because there was plenty of stretch. From the front:

and from the back (mirror shot, so it’s a little blurry I’m sorry):

and finally, from the side (and that IS sucking in my gut – horror!):

I’ve worn both pairs of pants a few times, and they are both comfortable and look good (I think!) with long tops over them. I do love a skinny pant. But they make me wonder about the definition of “good fit”. Sewing blogs are full of discussions about fit, and fitting yourself well is I think one of the most difficult things to do when sewing. There is fit in terms of having things actually get onto you comfortably, and there is fit in terms of flattery. In terms of fit, when is a wrinkle okay for wearing ease, and when is it not okay because it’s not flattering? I really have been ruminating on this a lot, and I’m not sure of the answers. I tend to figure that if something I make is more comfortable and fits at least as well as something I’d consider buying, then the fit is fine. But maybe this is wrong? And I don’t want to fit clothing until the style ease is eliminated and most clothes have the same silhouette. That said, at the moment I have too many wrinkles across the back of my clothes, which mean that the fit across the back is too tight – but I think that is my weight at the moment more than my shape. You can tell what I’m thinking about when I lie awake in bed at night, can’t you!  This is why I don’t sew my own jeans or most styles of pants – because although they technical side of sewing them isn’t difficult, getting the fit right is a completely different story.

Maybe it’s time for me to sew some bags or do some quilting for a little while – something that doesn’t require any fit.

tilda and elle

Before I made my Parfait dress, I ran up another pair of StyleARC Elle pants and gave the StyleARC Tilda top a go.

This time around I made the pants in a stretch bengaline, as recommended. It is much lighter weight than the fabric I used last time, and I think that I have a better overall result. I still basically consider this pair to be a muslin – skin coloured pants aren’t really the best option, but the fabric was on sale at Spotty for around $2 per metre – just perfect for trialling stretch woven pants!

Once again, I made size 10. There is plenty of stretch in this fabric. I shortened the leg length around 9cm, but possibly could have cut a little more.

This time I altered the pattern a little by cutting the front crotch curve around a quarter of an inch larger, but I shaved around a quarter of an inch from the side seam of the back leg piece through the hip and upper thigh. I think that it’s improved the fit, but I’ve still got some bagging throughout the upper thigh below my bottom.

I’ll keep on making up and tweaking this pattern – I love a pair of skinny pants and these are so fast and simple to sew. So, now on to the top!

There were a couple of issue with this top. Firstly, the instructions need a little more work, although the diagrams were useful. Secondly, the front sleeve and back sleeve were labelled incorrectly. It took me a couple of goes to realise that they were not going to fit into the bodice pieces unless I swapped them around. I have emailed StyleARC about this and they have rectified their error. Thirdly, this needs a softer, drapier fabric for the unusual sleeve drafting to fall correctly. You get a better idea of the sleeve shape in this next photo.

I used a crinkly jersey remnant from Rathdowne Fabrics. Although I love the vibrant colour, and the fact that this fabric doesn’t need ironing – it’s already wrinkled! – next time I’ll use a rayon or bamboo jersey that has more drape. I do like the v-neckline, and the neck band fitted perfectly. The curved hemline is also attractive, although it appears to be more pronounced from the front.

So, the verdict? I’ll make the top again, in a more suitable fabric. I love a loose top like this with skinny pants. Just beware with StyleARC patterns that the instructions are not what you are used to when you generally sew with Vogue/McCalls/Simplicity/Butterick etc patterns. It’s good to have some reference books on hand, or to be a confident sewer. But the drafting and the currency of the styles is marvellous!

thank goodness I made a muslin

The StyleARC Elle pant.  Size 10.  Stretch twill or similar from Darn Cheap Fabrics for just $2 per metre.  Thankfully.  This is muslin #1.

Not horrendous from the front. The Elle pant is described as slim line from ankle to waistline, which it is, and it has an elasticised flat waistband. The recommended fabric is stretch gabardine, which I unfortunately didn’t use. My fabric is a little heavier in weight, but is just as stretchy as stretch gabardine. Which is a good thing, because check out the back view.

Um. Ahem.  Skin tight across my booty, and lots of weird folds between the hip and the knee. I do have to say thought that they are actually quite comfortable – once I’ve wriggled into them.

So now I’m trying to figure out the next step in altering these to fit my shape. Because I have to say, the actual pattern is BRILLIANT. It went together beautifully in record quick time, with each piece fitting to one another exactly as it should. However, I have a different shape to the pants! They’re not too bad from the front; it’s that back view that concerns me. Brace yourselves and let’s have another look:

Okay, thoughts. So far I think that I will:

• cut the back pieces larger through the bottom and waist (I possibly should have bought size 12 but measured in between sizes and often wear size 8 or 10 in pants/jeans from the shops)
• keep the crotch depth as it is
• take in the back pieces a little from the hip to the knee
• use a lighter weight fabric for muslin #2.

Other thoughts are welcomed! I’d really like to work out how to make this one fit me well – I know that once it does I’d use this pattern a lot.

And yes, I’ll probably still wear these. With very long tops.  Hubby thought that they looked okay (?!?!?!?!?!)